Rajnath Singh urges MSMEs to make India self-reliant in the defence sector, says local has to be focal

2 weeks ago

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Terming the MSMEs as the backbone of the Indian economy, keeping them strong is one of the priorities of the government, says defence minister Rajnath Singh. Exhorting MSMEs to make India `Atma Nirbhar’ in defence technology and products; in his address at an e-conclave defence minister Rajnath Singh said that “Manufacturing in the defence, the sector has been affected by COVID-19, as the only buyer of the defence products is the government.”The conclave was jointly organized by Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence and Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM).

Since the lockdown has come into force, the SIDM has been in constant touch with the top-level officers in the Ministry of Defence as well the armed forces. And has through various representations made several recommendations for bringing back the private sector and MSMEs on track post COVID.

Outlining the steps the Ministry of Defence has taken to bring back the MSMEs on track, Singh said that “Response dates of RFP/RFI have been extended, instructions for early clearance of pending payments have been made, and also financial support measures have been announced both by the government and RBI. These would help in reducing the financial burden of the industries and will provide some relief.”

Giving his assurance that the ‘Aatma Nirbhar Bharat’ campaign, inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will provide many opportunities to Indian industry, the minister urged all to adopt `swadeshi’.